Whenever I'm asked which destinations I love to return to again and again, Storm King Arts Center is one of the first spots that comes to mind. If you're not familiar with Storm King, in a nutshell, it's a massive outdoor sculpture garden in the lower Hudson Valley. Honestly, it's a little hard to put into words what a special, majestic place it is.

Since I first visited several years ago I've been back five times. The center frequently has new exhibits, as well as an impressive permanent collection from artists like Alexander Calder, Roy Lichtenstein, Zhang Huan and many others. But what really brings me back over and over is the exquisite natural setting. Every day, every season it's different. Some works within the park were created to highlight Storm King's natural beauty (Maya Lin's Storm King Wave Field, for example, with cresting mounds of earth simulating the waves of the ocean) while other sculptures, like Mark di Suvero's iconic works positioned along the South Field, have become apart of the landscape itself.

If you haven't been before, I recommend hopping on the center's free tram tour to get an overview. It's about 30 minutes long and takes visitors all across the park, highlighting the most well-know works from the permanent collection. But my favorite way to see the park is via bike. The center rents bicycles on a first come, first serve basis for $8 an hour and they come with a map that shows the bike routes that criss-cross the park's fields, hills and woodlands. It's particularly perfect in fall and makes it easy to explore on your own time. One must-visit place: Andy Goldsworthy's Five Men, Seventeen Days, Fifteen Boulders, One Wall, a winding stone wall that snakes its way through the lush forest.